BA-20
The BA-20 was an armored car that was used by the Soviet Union during World War II. Description The BA-20 was based on the chassis of the GAZ M1 truck with some modifications made to the suspension to enable it to hold the added weight. Using the GAZ M1 as a base, the BA-20 had the same GAZ M1 4-cylinder engine capable of propelling the vehicle at speeds of up to 90 km/h on roads.http://www.wwiivehicles.com/soviet-union/vehicle/armored-cars/ba-20-armored-car.asp The operational range meanwhile was limited to about 350 kilometers. The vehicle had a crew of two and weighed approximately 3,250 kilograms. It should be noted though that some BA-20s were modified to have a radio operator as a third crew member.http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/ARMOURED_CARS3.htm The BA-20 also measured 4.1 meters long and 2.3 meters tall. In practice, the BA-20 was a reconnaissance vehicle and not meant to engage in intense combat. As such, both the vehicle's armor and armament were quite lacking. In the front of both its turret and hull, the BA-20 had a maximum of 6 mm of armor plate with bullet-proof glass fitted in the driver's vision slot. In rear, the armor was slightly thinner at 4 mm. Notably however, the wheels and tires of the vehicle were designed to take some fire and were made bullet resistant. Furthermore, the BA-20 was the first Soviet armored car to feature an escape hatch in the floor of the vehicle. Variants Base Variants *'BA-20M: '''Hull armor thickened to 10 mm, decreasing top speed to 70 km/h on roads. '''Specialty Variants' *'BA-20 Zhd: '''Special conversion designed to have its wheels changed for use on railways. Could also be towed by trainshttp://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/soviet_BA-20.php *'BA-20M Command Vehicle: '''Had a standard three man crew and special whip antenna mounted on the left side of the vehicle. History Development The BA-20 began its development in 1935 with the first prototypes being ready by 1936. In general, the BA-20 was supposed to fix many of the mistakes of the previous FAI armored car. Many elements were shared between the two designs, often causing confusion and misidentification. In testing, it was found that the BA-20's cross-country handling was significantly better than its predecessor, though its visibility at speed caused issues, as did its very weak armament. Production finally started to take off in 1936, though there were numerous supply issues, particularly with the turret that generally either delayed production or forced new armored cars to use old turrets. Combat Service The BA-20 was first used in late 1937 by 57th Special Corps in Khalkin Gol. Results were satisfactory, especially when used in conjunction with other Soviet light vehicles such as the BT-7 or older FAI armored car. The BA-20 then went on to fight in the Winter War against Finland where several examples were captured and used again by Finnish forces. Against German forces during Operation Barbarossa, BA-20s served with less overall effect and took more losses. Captured BA-20s still had their uses though, and were often given to German military police units. In the end, production of the BA-20 type eventually ended in favor of the BA-64 armored car. In all, some 1,567 examples of BA-20 were built during the war and used by several different countries. References Category:Soviet Vehicles Category:Armored Cars Category:Soviet Armored Cars Category:Vehicles Category:BA-20